[LRflex] Re: DM-R Adventure
- From: David Young <telyt@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 18:31:56 -0700
Eliot asked:
>However, the question remains, and should be asked: Did the
>original purchasers of the DMR at the $5,000 price receive Beta units, and
>if so, were they told?
No. Whoever used the "beta" term had his tongue firmly planted in his cheek!
>Now that the price has been increased $500-1000, do
>the newer models have all of the "fixes", or are some of the later higher
>priced models also in Beta testing?
The price increase has to do with the drop in the value of the US
Greenback, which is losing ground to every major currency due to the
huge trade deficit the US is currently maintaining. It makes the
DM-R more expensive for you and cheaper for me. Simple!
>Do firm ware updates tend to fix "all" of the discovered problems in
>a digital
>camera, i.e., will there be a firm ware "fix" for the problems Alan and
>David experienced?
Firmware fixes fix problems as they are identified.. and as Doug
pointed out, sometimes even add a few more! During the 8 months I
had the Canon 20D I installed (as I recall) 3 firmware updates to fix bugs.
> Do the digital camera bodies have to be sent back for
>"updating"?
No. You download the firmware from the maker's site, copy it to your
memory card, put the card in the camera and turn the camera on. Then
follow the instructions on the panel and within 1 or 2 minutes it's done.
>I am certain the C and N have had their own set of problems with their
>cameras, and I am not out to "bash" Leica. I only find it rather
>interesting that the original DMR models might now be classified as Beta
>cameras.
See first answer.
> Perhaps all newer model digital cameras at the time of their
>introduction should be sold with the Beta designation?
Perhaps. But they are not. Not ever. In any brand.
>Perhaps the new digital M should carry the designation of Leica M
>Digital Beta with the
>relevant caveats included in the instructions?
Perhaps. But they won't. Because every maker goes out of his way to
alpha and beta test prior to release. But when we, the great
unwashed, get hold of a product we use it in ways, and combinations
of controls that the testers never imagined! We find the bugs, by
pure dint of our numbers. Then the manufacturers work on fixing
them, if they can. The result is a firmware update.
If you think that a product should be perfect when first introduced
(or even, ever!) then you should try moving into the real world. It
is true that the DM-R has a few foibles, but overall it works very,
very well. Some published reports feel that because of it's lack of
AA filter and greater bit depth (16 vs 12 for brands N&C) that it
offers superior results to cameras with many more pixels, and
equivalent price. I've compared the output of the 10mp DMR to that
of the 16mp Canon D1S/II, which costs nearly as much as the R9 and
DM-R. I like the DMR's photos better, and wouldn't trade it for the world!
> At a reported price of
>almost $5,000 for the new digital M, what constitutes full disclosure to
>potential buyers? Should such buyers be offered a discounted price for 6-12
>months while the "bugs" are being worked out, and fixed?
Now I hope that you have your tongue firmly planted in your cheek!
As I mentioned the other day... when you were mulling the Nikon D70
vs the DM-R. Buy the D70, and use your wife's lenses. Over a few
months, decide if digital is for you. If yes, and you're happy with
the Nikon's results, fine. If you find yourself wanting something
better (as I did) you'll end up with the DM-R, or perhaps, by then,
digital-M. Just be prepared to give the D70 to your wife, or sell
it, as I did with my 20D. If you sell, you'll lose some money, but
it's a much smaller loss than buying a DM-R up front, and then
finding you prefer film!
Cheers!
---
David Young,
Logan Lake, CANADA
Personal Web-site at:
http://www3.telus.net/~telyt
Limited Edition Prints at:
http://www3.telus.net/~telyt/prints.htm
Leica Reflex Forum web-page:
http://www3.telus.net/~telyt/lrflex.htm
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